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Nippon Ichi's latest, Sonic and Strawberry Marshmallows!

By Anoop Gantayat

Are you an import gamer? Do you hate it when developers release the American versions of Japanese games before the Japanese versions, thus making you, a hardcore import gamer, feel less elite (see Sonic Gems)? Then you've come to the right place!

This section recaps the games that made their way onto store shelves over the course of the previous week. If you're having trouble keeping up with what's new in the Japanese market, turn to this section every week.

The following games were released between 08.08.05 and 08.14.05. Click on the name to see all of IGN's current coverage and media for the game.

In this simulation/adventure, you play as the young inventor Nanoka Franka. You've come to the town of Tristia with the goal of reviving the town following a disaster. As Nanoka, you'll have to create items and sell them to shops around town. The town will grow in accordance with the items that you sell. Along the way, you'll meet a large cast of characters. The game is also available in a 9240 yen limited edition set featuring a drama CD and a soundtrack CD.

Media Works' latest is based off the Ichigo Mashimaro manga. You play as a young boy who's traveled home for the summer to find himself in the company of a bunch of girls from his childhood. Your goal is to further your relationship with the girls by making choices during interactive conversation bits. You can select three actions to perform per day, one in the morning, one in the afternoon and one at night. The game includes an original episode for each character.

Known as European Assault in America, EA's latest Medal of Honor title takes you back to 1942 Europe. You play as William Holt of the OSS and must work your way through an open world, fighting alongside fellow soldiers. Your character has an adrenaline meter which builds up as you defeat enemies. Fill the meter up, and you become invincible for a brief period.

Sunrise follows up on its high speed, futuristic anime racer with a sequel that features new machines and characters. This racer is all about racing fast, making use of boosts, drifts, and special turns to beat the competition. The game includes a story mode where you follow the plot for the character you've chosen.

Sega taps into its back library for a collection featuring nine of your favorite Sonic titles, including the elusive Sonic R, Sonic the Fighters and Sonic CD. As with Mega Collection, Gems Collection also includes non Sonic fare, including the Vector Man and (exclusive to the Japanese version) Streets of Rage series.

Zoid is a popular anime/hobby that has been converted to the game screen many times before. This latest conversion takes the form of a simulation RPG where you lead your comrades on the strategy field, making use of those massive metal Zoids. The game includes over 90 characters and 150 Zoids from the anime along with an interactive story whose path is determined by the responses you chose for questions. You can power up your Zoids and, by using the same pilot-Zoid combination, build up inter-character trust levels.

Bandai brings this movie-to-game license to Japan just in time for the film's release. In the GameCube version, you switch off between four Central Park Zoo animals, a lion, a giraffe, a zebra and a hippo, as you work your way through eleven stages of play that are based off the locals from the film.

Sega taps into its back library for a collection featuring nine of your favorite Sonic titles, including the elusive Sonic R, Sonic the Fighters and Sonic CD. As with Mega Collection, Gems Collection also includes non Sonic fare, including the Vector Man and (exclusive to the Japanese version) Streets of Rage series.

Just like its GameCube counterpart, you play as the zebra, lion, giraffe and hippo from the Dream Works animated film in this multi-staged action game. By collecting coins located throughout the stages, you open secret stages.

This first PSP Gundam game has been ported over from a year 2000 PlayStation title. You play as either the Federation or Zeon and face off against the opposite group in grid-based strategy battles. The PSP title includes all the contents from the PlayStation add-on disk along with wide screen support.

Nintendo set aside a special Monday release just for this title, and with good reason! Combining over 200 characters from the mega-popular Shonen Jump comic line with fast, four-player fighting action that only Nintendo does right, Jump Superstars has been one of the DS's most anticipated titles in Japan. The game uses the touch panel for quick item use and character changes.

The DS version of Madagascar offers a similar experience to the GBA one.

That does it for this week's games list. For a full look at the Japanese game scene, including pictures from around Tokyo, magazine summaries, ads, commercials, charts, release dates and special features, be sure and check out Gaming Life in Japan column. To see the latest issue, featuring a tour of Akihabara, point your browser here.